My Position On Rochester School Closings

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While "leaders" of the City and School District play pass the buck (literally) --- significant and growing numbers of our children continue to represent the dependable fuel that feeds expansion of the prison-industrial-complex. The days of closing schools and funneling big-bucks to construction magnates to build, on the one hand, tax-money-generating condominiums for the well-to-do and super-rich, and on the other hand --- barbed-wire warehouses for our youth --- must be brought to a halt!

Calling All Grassroots Community Leaders, Activists, And Progressives: My Position On Rochester School - Closings
 
First, it is important to understand the rationale behind proposed school - closings. According to Rochester City School District (RCSD) officials, the main reason why some elementary schools need to be closed is because of so-called declining enrollment. They based their belief that, over the next 10 - 15 years, our student population will drop significantly, on, of all things --- five-year-old census data. With regard to the U.S. Census, we know that African American and Latino people (who make up the overwhelming majority of the RCSD student population) are grossly undercounted.
 
Then, what is this hideous move to close schools really about? The answer in short is of course (as usual) MONEY.  It is about making money off the backs of our children --- while ignoring and  neglecting the pitiful quality of education that most are receiving. Remember, this whole scheme is suppose to be part of a so-called facilities - modernization plan. The plan is to close some schools and "modernize" others. In order to modernize school buildings, the school district will have to hire architects, construction contractors, engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc. . So you should not be surprised that vulture - like representatives of private construction companies "served" (at the tables where decisions were being made) as so-called advisors to the so-called School and Community Advisory Committee, which developed and put forth the recommendations to close 16 RCSD schools. The construction - vultures had the audacity to pretend that they were volunteering  services to the Advisory Committee --- knowing damn well that the real reason that they were at the table is to get an inside track relative to being awarded lucrative construction contracts to "modernize" school buildings or build new condominiums or whatever closed schools will be turned into in the future. One of the vultures was bold enough to admit this at the first so-called public forum regarding this matter, which was held at Frederick Douglass Preparatory School.
 
School District and City officials are not talking much about the fact that they plan to secure hundreds of millions of dollars via state aid and loans in order to "modernize" the schools. Nor are they talking much about the fact that one of the greatest considerations relative to deciding which schools to close is the potential for so - called "future-use." In other words, they want to do everything possible to make sure that they can sell the buildings that they close to private business people or individuals who will convert the schools into some type of entity that the city can collect taxes from. I repeat, this is a money game (at the expense of quality education for mainly poor, African American and Latino children). The Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education are not telling the public about the tremendous pressure that they are receiving from the Mayor's Office and some City Council members to become more so-called fiscally responsible and accountable, which translates into being willing to close schools for purposes outlined above, and which increases the chances of securing huge loan amounts. You may remember that at the end of last school year, in addition to closing down Josh Lofton high school, the Board of Education was expected to approve the Superintendent's recommendation to close #36 School. When the Board refused to do so (because of quick, effective organizing and resistance by parents, students teachers, administrators, and community members) --- they were criticized by the Mayor and some Council members for being so-called "fiscally irresponsible", and for "caving in" to political pressure, and therefore were punished by the mayor proposing, and the majority of the Council supporting a 7 Million dollar reduction (cut) in the amount that the City contributes to the school district's budget. Thus, the Mayor and some Council members are testing the Board again this (election) year to see if they will act in a "responsible" manner this time around.  The clear victory achieved by the #36 School-Community ought to be very instructive for the rest of us.  
 
The real shame and crime is that, whether enrollment is declining or not, which I have not heard anyone make a substantial case to prove, if there is unused space in school buildings --- City and school district officials are ignoring the fact that this offers us a truly, golden opportunity to help hundreds, if not thousands of our students who are in need of so much individualized and specialized attention and support. It offers an opportunity to develop new, innovative, alternative educational approaches and models, which Superintendent Emanuel Rivera claimed (once upon a time) to favor and support.  
 
I know that the cry will go up: Where will the money come from? I say, redirect it from non-essential projects and so-called "services" such as the Fast-Ferry-love-boat, the underground bus terminal, the suburbanite-play-ground-soccer-stadium, inner-city-docks to launch boats, and expansion of the stinking-zoo, etc. Also, the well-to-do and the filthy-rich should step up to the plate and put their money where their rhetoric is in terms of their claims that they value the lives of all people, and especially children, which we already know is not true. If it is true, then I challenge anyone and everyone in the County to advance a logical argument that would explain why one of the nation's wealthiest counties, and particularly it's  only large, wealthy city has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, and is now proposing to shut the doors of some of its public schools.
 
Parents, Students, Grassroots Community Leaders, Activists And Progressives: I am proposing that we:
 
  • adopt a collective stance and position that rejects any plan to close even one more city school (unless a building is structurally unsound --- beyond  reasonable cost of repair).
 
  • draw from the lessons and example set by the #36 School Community last year, by facilitating, helping and/or supporting the organizing of parents and others around the issue of proposed school-closings (there are several activities that we should commit to at this point: 1) attending tomorrow's announced meeting at 12 Noon; 2) commit to speaking and/or participating in protest and pickets inside and outside of three so called public hearings that have been scheduled by the school district @ Frederick Douglass Preparatory School, 940 Fernwood Park on Feb. 3rd; James Madison High School, 200 Genesee Street on Feb. 7th; and East High School, 1801 E. Main Street on Feb 9th. With regard to signing up to speak at the public hearings, the phone number to call is 262-8363. 
 
  • Set a date, time, and place for a follow-up meeting at the conclusion of tomorrow's meeting.
 
Even if we are not successful in keeping every school open, waging the struggle to do so is very important, especially as it relates to the larger context of the overall movement, which many of us have committed to doing all that we can to develop and advance. If you plan to attend tomorrow, I'd appreciate it if you could drop me a note.
 
Sincerely,
Your Brother
Howard